North Shore Times – Greyhound Rescue looking for new homes for friendly canines

Natalie Panzarino wanted a cool, calm and collected pet dog for her children to grow up around – and that is exactly what she got.

The Lane Cove resident said she fell in love with greyhounds the moment she realised how gentle they were.

The mother-of-two encouraged other potential pet owners to look past the muzzle and consider adopting the breed.

“People seem to have this preconceived misconception that greyhounds are large, scary, energetic dogs who are all over the place, and that is just not the case,” the visual arts and English teacher said.

“They’re a really good, low maintenance dog, and they don’t tend to need a lot of exercise.

“They’re really friendly and are very gentle in nature.”

Mrs Panzarino, 33, also volunteers at Greyhound Rescue in Rouse Hill.

She said rehoming greyhounds had recently become increasingly important as the not-for-profit organisation had to downsize the number of on-site dogs being cared for.

The organisation rehomes up to 250 greyhounds each year, she said, but new council rules mean it has to accommodate fewer dogs on-site.

“We had about 34 dogs on site in our kennels, but had to drop that number to 12,” Mrs Panzarino said.

“We’ve now got about 25 dogs in our care, both in kennels and being fostered. We can’t take on any more.

“Greyhound Rescue is currently looking for a new location in the greater Sydney area. However, we don’t know how long that is going to take, so trying to find the right families to rehome these beautiful dogs to is really important.”

On Sunday, Ms Panzarino will stand alongside other greyhound-loving volunteers to show-off the breed to potential pet owners.

Peter Flann, co-founder of the organisation, invited residents to stop by and “say hello” to the team at the Lane Cove Village Fair from 9am until 4pm.

He and his wife, Janet, founded Greyhound Rescue in 2009.

“We will have a handful of loving greyhounds with us, who are friendly and in dire need of a forever home,” he said.

“They’re a beautiful breed of dog, but the problem is they can be very hard to rehome as people don’t necessarily think they are as wonderful as what they actually are.

“They make a great pet for all ages and only need a 20-minute walk a day.”

According to an RSPCA spokeswoman, RSPCA NSW has received 200 greyhound surrenders since January 1.

However, only 132 of those dogs have been rehomed.

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